Process for producing oxygenenriched mixtures from air



Dec- 29, 1936- R. LINDE I 2,066,115

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING OXYGEN ENRICHED MIXTURES FROM AIR' Filed. May 17, 1935 A IR All? INVENTOR RICHARD L/NDE BY ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 29, 1936 I PROCESS FORPRODUCING OXYGEN- 'ENRICBED MIXTURES FRM AIR Richard Linde, Hollriegelskreuth by MuniclnGermanyg assignor, by mes'ne' assignments, to

. Union Carbide and Carbo n poration of New York mApplication May l'i, 1935, sci-m1 Nb;

InGermany May17, 1334:

4 I '6'Claims. (01. 62-4755) invention relates; to a process ior producing oxygen-enriched mixtures irom air and especially to' systems in which air isrectified in twostages. i a I 1 5 j In producing mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen from air in which the oxygen content is more than approximately forty-five percent,. it is. customary to condense the-air ,under pressure in a manner which efiects partial rectification and to subsequently. morev completely, rectify the mixture into an end-product relatively pure in oxyv gen, and a high-- nitrogen concentrate, by'expos- "ing the mixture to the washing action of liquid nitrogena j n ,f The nitrogen required as awashliquid in the second stage of the two-stage'separation process is not liquefied in heat exchange with the'evap' crating oxygen-enriched end-product as has heretofore generally been the case, but irather go with the oxygen-nitrogen mixturewhich previously had been liquefied inthe first separation stage. The liquid end-product, rich in oxygen, @whichis producedin the second separation stage 'is utilized byallowing it to fiow co-currentlywith its vapors through condensing passages in the first stage, wherethe refrigeration evolved dur-' ing its complete evaporation condenses a portion of the incoming air. To attain-the desiredhigh efiiciency, the quantity of, theevaporatedoxygengoenriched end-product should be-substantially equal to that of the air liquefied iii-the first stage. During partialrectiflcation of the liquefied air in both stages, a large portion of i the nitrogen content of the air vaporizes from the mixture and passes out of the top of thesecond separation The quantity oi the mixture being processed thereby decreases as the nitrogen vaporizes, and it would therefore ordinarily be impossible during 540 continuousoperation I to maintain equal .volumes of vaporizing end-product and of liquei'ying air. This condition is met, however, under the pro-, visions of the present inventionbyintroducing a suitable quantity of additional air intothe sec. o'nd separation stage, to compensate for the loss of the volatilized nitrogen by increasing thequan-v tity of oxygen-enriched end-product.

-' -The principal object therefore 01' theipresent invention isto provide improved method and apparatus for separating the constituents of air; I

and to provide for increased efliciency and greater capacity of a rectification apparatusby introducing therein a measured stream of air to compensate for the loss of vaporized nitrogen. Other objects and advantages of the presentinvention n Corporation, a corwill become appare'nt from the following detailed which is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus 1 adapted for practicing the principles of themventionu 1 The present'process may be more fully, underan apparatus adapted to produce, for example, eighty percent oxygen. Assuming typicaloperating conditions, ten thousand cubic meters'OI,

"bojn dioxide, and other impurities, and compressed to 3.3 atmospheres absolute, are introduced .per hour through the inlet l I into the bottom of the first separation stage F. "This first separation stage F is constructed in the formu oi areflux I lcon de n sen'fand is providedwith' a series of tubes. T, of any desirable configuration, indicated-in oxygen-enriched end-product'passes downwardly inside these "coils, as will beudescribedlaten-and c a portion of the air on the outside; of the coils,

cooled to below its condensationtemperature,

ervoir R at the bottom of the first unit F. The liquid L thus produced through fractional con- .with ascending vapors contains approximately the unit F forces the oxygen-enriched liquid. air Lthrough pipe l2 and through expansion valve into the second stage unit or'column S at ap-, proximately its mid-section. Aiterthe liquid air passes the expansion valve I3, it has expanded i by v throttling action so that \when the fluid L enters the second unit S through pipe l4 it is in a very'coldcondition; v Part of theBair-which enters through inlet ll separates as a gas fraction 'ofsubstantially pure nitrogen and passes out at the top of the first unit F through pipe l5 from which it isconducted oxygen-enriched liquidair'L is sprayed from the endof the pipe l4 over the coils C and cools this vapors th'ereiniare condensed at substantially the pressure which exists within the first unit F, and the liquid air L whichprovides the refrigw erationior the liquefaction is at the same time partially vaporized and fractionated, losing its more volatile constituents. In order to provide more efiective heat exchange it may be desirable to surround the tubes in units F and C with rectification trays in the usual manner. The nitrodescription and from the accompanying drawing "'"stood by referring to thedrawing which depicts; 1

the drawing-as a helical coil; The evaporating condenses and falls asliquid air L to-the resdensation and partial rectification by contact i Q forty-five'percent oxygen. The pressure within '13, after which it-is injectedthrough pipe l4 upwardly throughasecond coil'of tubing C. The

tubing to such adegree that the nitrogen rich 10 air, preferably previously freed of moisture, car- I the agency of thejpressure l6, expansion valve i1, and pipe 18,

gen liquefied in the tubing C'is conducted through diflerence upward through pipe irom'which it is sprayed from the top or the un itS as wash liquid to eiie'ct more-completerectiflcation of the air being processed. vaporized nitrogen passes of! through outlet pipe I! whiletheascending oxythe colder wash nitrogen. The end-productE' thus formed, which contains approximately eighty per Cent of oxygen,

second unit 5 from which it is through pipe 2| leading to the top oi the tubular coil T of the first unit F. the liquid endproduct continues in its course downwardly through the tubingT it vaporizes progressively,

and absorbs heat from the incoming air to liquefy -a portion of the. air as has previously 'beenmentioned. The end-product is removed as. a vapor through outlet pipe 22...;

gen wash liquid'is conducted thereto inthe customary manner. a i t It will be seen that .air containing substantially twenty-one percent of oxygen is subjected to. fractional condensation and rectification so that the oitygen content of. the

to eighty percent.

been a loss 01! nitrogen and consequently alossin 1 the amount as compared Obviously the only change has to the original supply.

4:, It is highly desirable in -theiunctioning oi'fthe 1 apparatusshown oi the liquid end-product des Q stage unit F. Ad

in the .iigure withits vapors wi "n the tubing r. sum be'the same as-the 'quant y of air condensed in ,thefirst' to effect an adjustment by admitting'additional or secondary air to 1 excess pressure and is otapredetermined amount so that the quantityof, the'liquid. formed in the first stage ,F and the quantity of the liquidendproduct are equalized; In the presentexample therefore, eight-thousand ;one hundred cubic meters of air per hour, compressed to"approxi-i mately 1.2 atmospheres absolute, arev blowninto" theupper column S at a po connection of pipe 14.

preferably hasbeen previously cooled anditreated understood that T large portion of its oxygencontentliquefying and for impurities, is rectifiedinthe second unit S, a

collecting about the tubing!) while substantially all of its; nitrogen passes oil through outlet 'ii as'agas. I

By employing scribed allthe processed air can be fractionally I liquefied and separated at relatively low pressure.

' Extra refrigeration to compensate for, losses by Q t t t mixtures irom airin two stsgeathe stepot inheat leakage into theapparatusin the present process is preferably produced ,by-means of a separate refrigeration pprocess utilizing a small ,pressed to about after cooling may turbine, so it quantity of air compressed to a high pressure. 'However instead of compressing the, secondary air to the pressure of approximately 1.2 atmospheres absolute, which pressure-xisnecessary for simply overcoming fiowresistance, it maybe com- 2 atmospheres absolute, and beexpanded, for example in a w we r at the top of the second unit S t difference is thus increased.

liquefied by heat exchange with collects at the bottom 0! the allowed to'flow Ii desired; the mode of in a simple condenser which is end product is increased il 'and bele'xponded with the delivery of that the quantity ndingco-currentiy se tioncycleitional end-product is. supplied the second stage unit S through pipe 23. This ai'rJis admitted under relativelylow- However, ps qensm s portion flux condenserl tobeusedas a snshtliquid in tdirectlybelowthe'. The secondary air, which the apparatus and method ae-g balance maybe quantity oi v gases, and introducing, said. air into If regeneratorstareused for eliminating water vapor,-carbon dioxide, and other impurities, com- 2'atmospheres abpressing the secondary air to solute'hafs the advantaged; more completely guaranteing the sublimation or in ,the cold accumulators,

go considerableyarlation. It is possible .in the production or oxygen-enriched mixtures contain-' a ing' inexcess'of eighty-percent'oxyg'en, that'the I air toib iiqueaed in the first separation me J may be condensed by heat exchange with liquid formed-lathe second separation staser may be effected by providing a separate chamber atthetono! the first t 7 t ll in therma contact with the fluids in the .l'owerportion air-the second, unit 8,10 which fluids heat fromthe eondensing air is imparted. may then be'usedas a supplwesh liquid to rovide ior the deficient:- amount. @Oh' the contrary, however, when under certain. circumstances it is idesiredthetthe end-produetfhave i percent; it ap ears that there mayhem, or wash c an oxygen content :0! less than sixty-live liquid available event 'a; portion or nitrogen may in a gaseousstateiromthe fi t separetionystese worlr'iorthe purpose oiv producing necessary reirigeration' to compensate toryloeeq and fto yisupplement or to otan ' '1! desired'the enti The method ,oi operation described may under swab ism" use:

oofidensatesdepo ited when the pressure gen iromthe lower column maybeiiquefledand introduced into the; upper column. quentity oi .secondery air may beutiiiae a quantity 0! wash liquid available. It is true that under; these circumstenoee quantity'oi iiquid end product 'tormed in the sec? ond separation stage be' quantit'yj liqueilieiiv {in the iirstsseperetion stage.

condensation of wash nitrogen. for so:

of 'the nitromin theredetails iorthe o! claritybutitil ta s art. The

stueunit above-atmosexoess maybeemployed; tor

The j o! to the' 'disclosure as I may prefer wmsremmm cations in the structure and pheric pressure, such measuredquantity oi air to form a wash liquid is enacted by imparting eifecting a heat balance in the first stage.

3. The process of producing oxygen-enriched mixtures from air in two stages comprising admitting air under pressure to the first stage, condensing a portion of said air, conducting the vaporized gases from said first stage to the second stage, allowing the condensed portion to expand and come in thermal contact with saidjvaporized gases, thus liquefyin'g said vaporized gases to form a wash liquid, exposing said condensed portion to the action of said wash liquid to evaporatevolatile gases from said'condensed portion and to concentrate other gases therein to form a liquid end-product, passing said liquid end-product cocurrently with its vapors through said first stage and exposing said end-productin thermal contact with said admitted air.

4. Process according to claim 2, in which at )least some liquefaction of =said vaporizedgases heat from said gases to fluid material'in' the lower part of said second stage.

' 5. The process of producing oxygen-enriched mixtures from air comprising fractionally condensing and rectifying air in two stages,, evaporating the oxygen-enriched end-product co-ourrently with its vapors in thermal contact with the incoming air in the first'stage, measuring additional air oia quantity equal to the difference in quantity between the air condensed in the first the delivery of external work, to the pressure prevailing in said second stage unit.

RICHARD mm. 20 

